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IOL News
25-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Pumas dethrone Griquas to capture SA Cup in Mbombela final
On Saturday they repeated that feat in convincing style to capture the SA Cup title on home soil. The Pumas became the second team – after Griquas in the inaugural competition last year – to finish the campaign unbeaten after they dealt the men from the Northern Cape their first defeat in the competition in the league phase a few weeks ago. The hosts worked hard for a 19-7 advantage at half time and kicked on the second half for a deserved win. It is happy days in Nelspruit after the Pumas captured their first SA Cup title by beating last year's champions, Griquas, 39-14 in the final at the Mbombela Stadium on Saturday evening. The Airlink Pumas take down the Suzuki Griquas to lift the 2025 #SACup 🏆 The match got off to a bad start for Griquas when their front ranker Cebo Dlamini was red carded for a head-on collision in the seventh minute, which meant they had to play the next 20 minutes with 14 men. In a sign of what was to come, the Pumas scored their first try barely a minute later, when hooker Eddie Swart went over at the back of a strong maul, which was converted by Danrich Visagie. Predictably, the men from Mpumalanga proceeded to dominate both possession and territory, leaving the defending champions to fend off wave after wave of attack from the rampant home side. The Pumas used their forward dominance to set up two good tries for midfielder Sango Xamlashe to take the score to 19-0 with a quarter of the opening half remaining. For his first effort, the outside centre stepped his way inside two defenders to score near the posts, and he was on the receiving end of a looping skip pass to go over near the corner for his second five-pointer. Griquas tried their best to stay in the contest and they were rewarded with a rather fortunate try when speedster Gurshwin Wehr intercepted a pass in his 22 to run in a long-distance try to make the half-time score 19-7. The dependable Visagie slotted a penalty goal before he converted No 8 Willie Engelbrecht's intercept try to stretch the home team's advantage to 29-7 shortly after the restart for the second half. Another successful penalty goal by Visagie took the score to 32-7 before Mnombo Zwelendaba scored Griquas' second try to bring the deficit down to 32-14. But the Pumas had the last laugh when replacement front ranker Dewald Maritz forced his way over the try line for their second try of the second half to all but secure them the SA Cup title
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Pumas dethrone Griquas to capture SA Cup
The match got off to a bad start for Suzuki Griquas when their front ranker Cebo Dlamini was red carded for a head-on collision in the seventh minute. The Pumas became the second team – after Griquas in the inaugural competition last year – to finish the campaign unbeaten after they dealt the men from the Northern Cape their first defeat in the competition in the league phase a few weeks ago, and on Saturday they repeated that feat in convincing style to capture the SA Cup title on home soil. The match got off to a bad start for Suzuki Griquas when their front ranker Cebo Dlamini was red carded for a head-on collision in the seventh minute, which meant they had to play the next 20 minutes with 14 men. In a sign of what was to come, the Airlink Pumas scored their first try barely a minute later, when hooker Eddie Swart went over at the back of a strong maul, which was converted by Danrich Visagie. Predictably, the men from Mpumalanga then proceeded to dominate both possession and territory, leaving the defending champions to fend off wave after wave of attack from the rampant home side. The Pumas used their forward dominance to set up two good tries for midfielder Sango Xamlashe to take the score to 19-0 with a quarter of the opening half remaining. For his first effort, the outside centre stepped his way inside two defenders to score near the posts, and he was on the receiving end of a looping skip pass to go over near the corner for his second five-pointer. Griquas tried their best to stay in the contest and they were rewarded with a rather fortunate try when speedster Gurshwin Wehr intercepted a pass to run in a long distance try to make the halftime score 19-7. The dependable Visagie slotted a penalty goal before he converted No 8 Willie Engelbrecht's intercept try to stretch the home team's advantage to 29-7 shortly after the restart for the second half. Another successful penalty goal by Visagie took the score to 32-7 before Mnombo Zwelendaba scored Griquas' second try to bring the deficit down to 32-14. But the Airlink Pumas had the last laugh when replacement front ranker Dewald Maritz forced his way over the try line for their second try of the second half to all but secure them the SA Cup title. Scorers: Airlink Pumas 39 (19) – Tries: Sango Xamlashe (2), Eddie Swart, Willie Engelbrecht, Dewald Maritz. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (4). Penalty goals: Visagie (2). Suzuki Griquas 14 (7) – Tries: Gurswhin Wehr, Mnombo Zwelendaba. Conversions: George Whitehead (2).
The Citizen
24-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Intensity wins: Pumas conquer Griquas in Mbombela
The SA Cup has a new title holder, and their home ground is Mbombela Stadium. The Airlink Pumas put on a brilliant display of dominant rugby to defeat the Suzuki Griquas 39-14 and were crowned the 2025 SA Cup champions tonight. The home team came out snorting from the kick-off and executed a game plan of speed, power and precision. This was complemented by excellent defence. The foundation of the Pumas' victory was their powerful scrum, which earned them numerous scrum penalties. The Griquas played their hearts out but were outclassed in every aspect of the game. They could not cope with the Pumas' intensity and committed too many unforced errors. The Pumas were gifted possession. The home team was also ruthless at the breakdowns and won numerous turnovers. It was a sublime team effort from the Mpumalanga side. The Griquas were in trouble within five minutes of the start. Cebo Dlamini was red carded for a dangerous tackle and they would play the rest of the match with 14 men. The Pumas' first try came in the sixth minute. A penalty was punted into touch on the Griquas' five-metre line and Eduan Swart scored from the resulting maul. Danrich Visagie slotted the conversion. Shortly after the restart, the Pumas again had an attacking line-out from a penalty into touch. The Pumas won their line-out and the ball went down the backline, with Sango Xamlashe scoring a try that was not converted. ALSO READ: Pumas and Griquas face each other in final battle of 2025 SA Cup war Xamlashe scored again in the 24th minute from the same scenario, using his speed to carve a gap through the Griquas' defence. Visagie added the two points. Three minutes before half-time Griquas finally put points on the board. Gurshwin Wehr intercepted a pass on his own five-metre line and sprinted the length of the field to score a try. George Whitehead converted. The half-time score was 19-7 to the home team. The Pumas continued to dominate in the second half. Two Visagie penalty kicks put the Mpumalanga team up 25-7 by the 52nd minute. Then Willie Engelbrecht intercepted a pass on his own 10-metre line and ran through untouched to score a try. Visagie kicked the conversion. The Griquas hit back when Mnombo Zwelendaba caught the Pumas napping, tapped a penalty and scored the try. Whitehead kicked the conversion. ALSO READ: IN PHOTOS: Pumas on fire at captain's practice The Pumas were soon back on attack in the Griquas 22-metre area, and after a period of sustained pressure, Dewald Maritz claimed a try. Visagie nailed the conversion. The Griquas threw everything at the Pumas in the final ten minutes of the match, but the home team's defence held. The new champions did their fans proud. They simply did not take the foot of the accelerator, and this sustained level of play gave them front-foot possession. It was 80 minutes of attrition that the visitors could not combat. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
TimesLIVE
27-04-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
‘Your morale is down so the win was important': Lions stick to simple script
Lions captain Jaco Visagie lauded his team's discipline after their 26-7 United Rugby Championship win over Connacht at Ellis Park on Saturday. The win snapped a five-match losing sequence but their failure to earn a bonus point almost certainly leaves them out of contention for a top eight spot. The Lions, however, came off a low base and they opted to slip into different mode to eke out a win. The hosts went for a safety-first approach and drifted from the high-tempo game to which they usually expose touring teams. 'The plan was not to play inside their own half,' Visagie explained. 'We managed that well. 'We went for contestables and got the 50/50s back,' said the hooker who lamented that the Lions weren't more clinical when scoring opportunities presented itself. Edwill van der Merwe puts Connacht to sleep 😤💤 The Lions winger finally gets his try ⚡ 📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 26, 2025 Visagie said the Lions were forced into a more conservative approach to keep their error rate down. He admitted they had been under the cosh and felt their efforts had gone unrewarded. 'We make mistakes and we work harder but sometimes it feels like we're in quick sand. We were more conservative to eliminate errors. 'The win was important after that losing sequence. Your morale is down so that's why the win was important also to show that we have what it takes to win matches.' Coach Ivan van Rooyen was pleased his team stuck to the plan. 'There were fewer errors. We were more disciplined in the way we wanted to play in certain areas. We were more accurate,' he said. 'We were desperate for the win. There was discipline to what we planned in particular the zonal and defensive discipline. Can you believe this try-saving tackle from Matthew Devine? 🤯 📺 Stream #VURC on DStv: — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) April 26, 2025 'We lost three loosies in the week. We were challenged in terms of selection. It was the first time six, seven and eight played together and Bronson's [Mills] first game.' Though the Lions' approach and lack of quality from an injury-ridden Connacht did little to elevate the game to the realm of spectacle, there were some notable individual performances. Props Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Morgan Naude were industrious, while young flank Renzo du Plessis made his presence felt in a man of the match performance. Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg kept Connacht under pressure around the fringes and through his testing contestable kicks, while wing Edwill van der Merwe delivered familiar menace. Debutant centre Mills also caught the coach's eye. 'I thought he was good. What's nice about him is he's got a good boot and has good skills. 'For a first game, being thrown into the deep end, he was very good.'
The Citizen
27-04-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Conservative approach pays off for Lions, says team leadership
The Joburg-based side have moved up one place on the URC points table and now have just two regular season matches remaining. The Lions were able to celebrate a good performance against Connacht on Saturday. Picture: Gallo Images Stand-in Lions captain Jaco Visagie said it was 'important' for his team to pull off a 26-7 win against Connacht in the United Rugby Championship at Ellis Park on Saturday. The victory snapped a five-match losing run for the Joburg side. Thanks to their seventh win in 16 matches, the Lions moved up one spot on the URC points table, to 13th, while Connacht, dropped to 14th. With two regular season matches remaining before the playoffs are contested, the Lions have a slim chance of still reaching the top eight to feature in the quarter-finals. They have 35 log points, while the team currently in eighth, Benetton, have 41. The Lions' final two games of the league phase are against Scarlets, who shocked Leinster on Saturday, and Ospreys, who beat the Dragons in their last outing. 'Mood down' 'The last few weeks have been difficult,' said Visagie, who is standing in as skipper in place of the injured Francke Horn, after the win. 'The morale was low after the recent defeats and the mood a bit down. This was an important win.' Both Visagie and coach Ivan van Rooyen said the Lions had taken a conscious decision to play a more conservative, structured game against the Irish side. 'We needed to eliminate all the errors we've been making recently,' said Visagie, 'and that's why we decided to be a bit more conservative in this game.' Conservative approach Van Rooyen added: 'We had a conversation in the week about being more conservative and everyone just doing their job well. It paid off. 'There were less errors today and the discipline was better. There was better accuracy and we kicked better as well. 'It was a good performance after the week we had, with so many injuries among the loose forwards and the changes we made.' Van Rooyen was forced into changing his back row with Horn out and Siba Qoma going down in the week. He also picked rookie centre Bronson Mills in a new-look midfield with Henco van Wyk.
